Freeman contract doesn’t prevent use of franchise tag

New Vikings quarterback Josh Freeman didn’t want to sign anything more than a one-year deal, because he wants to hit the open market again in March.

But the Vikings have the ability to keep Freeman beyond 2013, if they so choose.

Per a source with knowledge of the contract, the agreement does not include a clause preventing the Vikings from using the franchise tag to keep Freeman from hitting the open market.

Of course, the franchise tag would also put Freeman in line for a one-year deal worth an amount north of $15 million. So that wouldn’t be a bad thing for a guy who will make, in all, $11.43 million for 2013 from the Bucs and the Vikings.

And if, unlike the last one-year veteran wearing No. 5 the team signed, the Vikings like Freeman enough to make that kind of commitment for one more year, it’s likely that Freeman will want to stay. Which could result in a long-term deal with the Vikings before it even gets to the point where the franchise tag is used.

For now, Freeman simply wants a chance to compete. He has gotten no assurances regarding his role, we’re told.

This bum was surrounded by an overall better offense in Tampa, so how does anyone expect him to be any better in Minnesota? He has a great running back, and average receivers. In Tampa, he had a really good running back and above average receivers. This guy is no savior. I think they’re better off with Cassel.

When the press conference comes, Frazier and Spielman better be more open. I want to know what’s going on. Not some crap answer like “Ponder is the guy.” Fact is, you made this move because you have a plan. Personally, you start Freeman ASAP. See what you have. I want to find a franchise QB, and every start that Cassel has, it’s a waste of a game to see what a younger talent has to offer. If he sucks, you will have a poor record and can get a better QB in the draft. If he’s good, you can save that draft pick for a defensive player. The one thing Freeman has that Ponder and Cassel don’t is a howitzer attached to his right arm. That could be very valuable with a RB like Adrian Peterson. Let’s just see if he can find that consistency away from Schiano.

Yeah and two days ago, everyone wanted to hand the North to Detroit. This is still Green Bays division to lose. Until they’re beat, my opinion won’t change and neither should yours. Proof usually helps change an opinion.

He was contacted by 8-10 teams. The top people in the NFL know talent, Freeman has it. In hindsight whatever happens with him, it will be common knowledge that he played with 2 of the worst coaches in the NFL during his tenure in Tampa. No one is bashing V. Jackson for dropping balls like crazy this year, or the highest paid offensive line for being average. I don’t think there is a player in the league who would want to play for Schiano, and it drives some players to underperform (Freeman especially). Happens in the real world in other fields all the time, terrible managers drive talent away and make the workplace miserable.

That picture is perfect. I remember when Viking fans got all excited about the signing of Mcnabb, and hearing their glorious fairy tales of Donovan grooming the young and talented Christian Ponder until he was ready to fully assume the franchise QB throne in MN.

filthymcnasty1 says:
Oct 7, 2013 9:43 AM
That picture is perfect. I remember when Viking fans got all excited about the signing of Mcnabb, and hearing their glorious fairy tales of Donovan grooming the young and talented Christian Ponder until he was ready to fully assume the franchise QB throne in MN.

What a plan!

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Might want to get a brain scan. I can’t recall one Viking fan that wanted or praised McNabb. And I can think of very few who didn’t think Ponder was a huge reach and a bum.

The bottom line is, Percy was right all along. He and A.P. deserved better, Ponder has no business being a starting QB in the NFL. What’s really sad is, Frazier looks like a stooge standing up for Ponder. He stinks and everyone in the Twin Cities knows this. I really hate to say this, but the NFL is still a racist, good ol’ boys network, driven by tremendous egos too proud to admit when they’ve made obvious mistakes in the evaluation of talent. Just sayin’…

At 6-4 and at 6-6 last year Freeman could have stepped up, earned a huge contract and led the Bucs to the playoffs. Instead he plunged into the abyss with dismal play and the Bucs finished 7-9 with a meaningless week 17 win.

At 6-6 last year Christian Ponder was viewed as a mediocre QB going nowhere. He then stepped up to play winning football the last four weeks and led them to the playoffs.

There isn’t much of a difference between them other than Freeman has a better arm and worse accuracy. And Cassel is basically on par with both of them. Being 7-9 gets them nothing except missing out on all the potential franchise QBs in the draft.

I hope this works out, but I’m skeptical at best that it will amount to much more than early season talking points for network analysts and bored football fans. Short of Freeman turning into a legitimate franchise quarterback, I hope he’s at least good enough to make the Vikings focus on improving what is turning out to be an awful, awful, awful secondary this offseason. As a life-long Vikings fan I can foresee the franchise repeating the exact same scenario where they take the fourth QB in the draft about two rounds earlier than they should have in the draft this spring.

You can’t just start a guy you just signed and expect him to produce. It’s takes months of studying, offseason work, training camp, preseason, and film to master an offense. We see how well it worked out for Carson Palmer in Arizona and Daunte Culpepper in Detroit.

filthymcnasty1 says:
Oct 7, 2013 9:43 AM
That picture is perfect. I remember when Viking fans got all excited about the signing of Mcnabb, and hearing their glorious fairy tales of Donovan grooming the young and talented Christian Ponder until he was ready to fully assume the franchise QB throne in MN.

What a plan!

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yea no one praised the idea of bringing in Mcnabb, he was fraizer’s guy to bring in, once he was here most people thought he would be serviceable, but praised or lauded the pick up, no i think not, most people opposed this move…..as for freeman, nothing to loose here, 3million bucks who care its not you’re money and the vikes had it, many teams (10) wanted the guy, 25 years old an has a 10-12 game try out, facts out guy was a pro-bowler 2 years ago, i dont believe talent just dis-appears, factors from tampa might have been a problem in getting the most out of him, nothing to loose and alot to gain if it works….People said the same thing about V.Testavede or steve young early in their carrers untill they switched teams….anything is possible

Even at $3M, Freeman has sufficient talent to prove he is worth being a starting QB. The Viking O-line is not a brick wall, but not pourous either. yet Ponder never seems to have enough time, rarely if ever makes the “tough” throw, and has lost his teamates in the locker room. Add a rib injury that puts his heart at risk, likely keeping him out multiple weeks anyway, and this is not a bad play by the team.

If Freeman works out, then great for the team. If not, three guys hitting the street at season’s end.

All that said, if Musgrave doesn’t learn to play call his way out of a paper bag, it won’t matter who is at QB. Yes, there is a work horse in ADP, but Musgrave made Matt Ryan look pedestrian and boring.

Every team’s junk is a treasure to Minnesota. They can’t draft talent on their own (other than a few guys).
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8 starters on Offense (not including Jennings, Simpson and C. Johnson) were MN Draftees.

10 starters on Defense (not including Jared Allen) were MN Draftees.

Both special teamers (Walsh & Locke) are MN draftees.

Playoff team last year, and currently 5th in Scoring in the league. Maybe won’t be playoff team this year, but to say they can’t draft to compete shows what little critical thinking skills you actually have.

Picture of McNabb….. Forshadowing that the Vikes are gonna cut Freeman after 4 or 5 games.
Just joking Freeman isnt a bad quarterback at all he just needs to change his attitude and put forth more effort in practice and film review. I think he will be ok in Minnesota. Now Ponder on the other Hand……

That was FAT FREE in the picture with Rag-arm Mcnabb. That guy is gone, replaced with a Svelte guy who looks like he has taken a few too many Amphetamines.
Get excited Minnesota, the guy is big, strong and inaccurate as can be with short throws and balls up to 15 yards down field.
I love all the BLAME going to Schiano and the Bucs ORG for his dismal play, these guys are PRO’s, Coaching didn’t miss open recievers, hold the ball too long, stare down open receivers, make really poor throws and spray the ball all over the field.
He isn’t very good and he doesn’t have it…..I would wish him well if it really mattered, he just isn’t good. You will see. I can bet that almost none of you have ever watched him play………..

Unless he plays better in Minnesota than he did for the last two season plus in Tampa, there won’t be any franchise tag used on him.

Not sure what the Vikings are doing here. Freeman is as turnover prone as Ponder has been. Cassel is a retread, but played well enough against Pittsburgh to hold the starting job going forward. Right now he gives the team the best chance to win.

But $3 million for 12 games for Freeman? The only thing that tells me is that the team is not interested in putting Ponder back out on the field again. But Cassel needs to remain the starter until he messes up enough to be pulled out. Freeman doesn’t know this offense, and his penchant for turning the ball over will remind Viking fans of Ponder.

This could work out well for the team, but I wouldn’t bet on it. Speilman just spent $3 mil on a longshot, perhaps in hopes of not having to draft a second QB in round 1 in the span of three years.

You can put a big bulk of the problem on his agent, the kid hated Schiano, (can’t blame him) and orchestrated an exit strategy for him, well played by the Agent, he also picked up a nice bonus with this move. If he let Josh play his way out of Tampa, and he had a sorry season (he was and he will) he would not have gotten this $3.0 Million bonus, this way everyone says” POOR JOSH, HE WAS ABUSED” and he gets to get paid. Free Agency granted mid season, gets all his 11 million from the bucs plus and extra 3!!!
It is irrelevant that they trashed Schiano and the Bucs, they will not win more than 1 or 2 games, and they will wipe the slate clean next year.

It’s clear the Vikings are searching for just 1 mediocre QB who can do what the team needs; hand the ball off to All Day and occasionally hit the wide open single covered WR for a big play all while not dancing in the pocket until you take a sack and lose the ball, or who doesn’t throw an out to the other team for 6 pts. How hard can that be, Vikes don’t need or want Romo and his 500 yards passing, or even Rogers who can lead a team by himself. Just give us a QB who can throw and chew gum at the same time without losing a game for us by himself. PLEASE!!!!

What the vikequeen fans dont get is that the teams interested in Freeman other than a poor team ( jags ) like yourselves wanted him as a backup qb and thats it. The more you guys talk the worse you look, first it was 6 teams, then 8, and now the latest 10 to try and justify your next great savior. While other teams might have inquired there was only one stupid enough to pay him that ridiculous amount at this point in the season. Management and fans are desperate right now and it shows.

Playoff team last year, and currently 5th in Scoring in the league. Maybe won’t be playoff team this year, but to say they can’t draft to compete shows what little critical thinking skills you actually have

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Critical thinking skills I have my friend, part of being a lawyer. I guess I should have qualified my statement by explaining that they cannot draft NFL caliber players. Just because a majority of their starters were drafted by them doesn’t mean anything when they can’t win the big one. Perennial bottom-feeders who pick up other team’s castoffs.

filthymcnasty1 says:
Oct 7, 2013 9:43 AM
That picture is perfect. I remember when Viking fans got all excited about the signing of Mcnabb, and hearing their glorious fairy tales of Donovan grooming the young and talented Christian Ponder until he was ready to fully assume the franchise QB throne in MN.
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How could you possibly remember something that didn’t happen? I don’t remember one Vikings fan who wanted McNabb here. We wanted to start Ponder from day one. McNabb was awful the year before, so why would we be happy he came here? Get a life dude.

thesconnienation says:
Oct 7, 2013 10:08 AM
The Vikings signing another team’s cast off? Never in a million years. . . .
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As if other teams don’t do the same. Have you ever heard of the term free agency? Pretty much the same thing.

Unless he plays better in Minnesota than he did for the last two season plus in Tampa, there won’t be any franchise tag used on him.

Not sure what the Vikings are doing here. Freeman is as turnover prone as Ponder has been.

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his second year, disregarding his rookie season he had 25 TDs and 6 ints. Last year he had 27 TDs and 12 ints. Last year of the Morris staff he struggled. Ponder has never even been close to those stats. This kid has showed that he can play in his first 4 years in the league. Sure he has had some struggles but 80 TDs to 66 ints in four years while still only being 25 years old and going through two coaching staffs is pretty good for a young player. He is the closest thing to a franchise QB the Vikings have had since Culpepper.

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thesconnienation says: Oct 7, 2013 10:50 AM

Perennial bottom-feeders who pick up other team’s castoffs.

Who cares if you are a lawyer, you have no clue what you are talking about just by that statement. Sure they haven’t won a Super Bowl but they are not even close to perennial bottom feeders, in fact that statement makes you sound ridiculous. The Vikings have one of the best winning percentages of any team since they have been in the league. Do some research before you make yourself look stupid again.

Its obvious that Freeman didn’t like Schiano and Schiano obviously didn’t like him. He wasn’t his draft pick and he showed he wanted his pick to be the QB of the team for the future by drafting Glennon this year. The kid threw 27 TDs 12 ints last year with over 4500 yards in his fourth year and first under Schiano. Goes to show you the tension between the two. Ponder will never and has never thrown for over 4000 yards and will never and has never had that TD to INT ratio. Big upgrade whether all you narrow minded Viking haters want to admit it or not.

He’s going to get that coach fired. Man I am telling you Freeman is not a good quarterback. I watched him every Sunday. Forget those he hot stats last year he still sucked. He would sling it up and his receivers would go get it like flacko in the SB. u will see.

Being bitter, jealous and angry living in the shadow of greatness of the Packers is stifling the quality of your pathetic existence in the Land of 10k Trailer Park Cesspools. You should sue your moms for failing to tell you that your doomed to low class status on the ladder of relevance.

About the only thing dumber than signing Freeman in the first place is using a franchise tag on him in the off season. I’m too lazy to look it up but that would raise his salary into the tens of millions, I think?

But then again this is the MN Vikings, the same franchise that moved up in the draft to get T Jack, thought enough of Favre to send a plane to pick him up, signed McNabb well past his prime, and traded away a 3rd rounder to rent Randy Moss for 3 games. I mean really, you can’t make this stuff up.

People can be hilarious, many talk about the Vikings taking cast off qbs, well Brad Johnson won a Superbowl and Rich Gannon was league MVP and went to the SB, they both started in MN. So, sometimes you need to give a guy a chance. Ponder has had a chance to play he doesn’t look good, Cassel looks better and won. Freeman is a very good addition, he’s thrown for lots of yards(like Cassel) and gives MN two viable starters that can take advantage of the 9 and 10 in the box AP faces.(yeah, not 8) Anyway, Freeman is only 25 and the Bucs got nothing for him, this is a great hedged bet by MN, great move by the organization. It is possible that we may even get a draft pick for Ponder. Freeman has been a model citizen until this year, so the only thing that is diff is his relationship with Schiano. He’s bigger and stronger than most qbs and worth a shot. We have a good set of receivers and are scoring almost 30 points a game. The money will be there to sign the d line men that we want and change is good sometimes. BTW, if you saw TJackson in preseason, he looked very good, experience and familiarity with Carrolls system have done him well. Short term memory can be good but its not always accurate. I admit I thought McNabb was a good move, who knew until we saw him play in MN, at least this organization will make moves, at least they are trying to win. Who among you can say they knew Farve’s 2nd MN year would go poorly, I couldn’t foresee that. Unlike many that rarely do anything but draft and play it out like my hometeam the Panthers, my beloved Vikings are wheeling and dealing to get it done. Who would you rather play for, root for and pay for? Go Vikings!

And all around the NFC North, you can hear Detroit, Green Bay & Chicago DB’s licking their chops at the number in INT’s Freeman is going to toss their way.

Schiano didn’t kill his Tampa Career. Freeman did. If he was the Franchise QB people though he would be, then he would have made the plays when he needed to, and helped win more than 7 games out of 20.

How many games did the Bucs loose by 7 points or less over that time? 5-7. If he were the great QB people praise him for being, then he would have found a way to overcome, and be the guy to get points.

Schiano may not be the greatest coach in the NFL, but he’s done what needed to be done, and that was instill discipline into the team. Josh just didn’t get it. He put on a great act for a while, but he just didn’t get it.

The Wilfs obviously have zero PR staff working for them. They are trying to squeeze $10K seat licenses from the dedicated season ticket holders yet the front office appears to have any sort of strategy. The team, not the players, but the team appears to be a gong show. Furthermore, there are still questions about the Wilf’s financial situation and their actual net-worth. Moreover, the e-gambling has not been able to raise a dime as expected towards the stadium.

So, we are supposed to shell out $10K dollars? What am I investing in exactly? Sorry, but the pride thing left when you failed to field a team.

A sense fear in Stinky Cheese Land!! Now we have a cannon armed qb with Big Ben size….the best player in the NFL, AD…..big fast receivers like Flash Patterson, Simpson,Jennings ,Webb and Rudolph who could play Freemans deep jump ball game. I’m pumped!

Over the last 2 1/4 seasons, he has averaged 235 yards per game, and 1 TD, 1 INT, on 57% passing.
If that floats your boat have fun, that is not FRANCHISE MATERIAL and that is why he is gone, average and mediocre, with a really good team attitude obviously, he did everything (ESPN Interview) to get out of town. Glad he is gone, just looking forward to the next rebuilding project. New Coach, new GM, new QB………..who will it be. 2002 is a LONG way away………….

Freeman has all the raw talent in the world but he’s never really put it to good use. He’s had one good (not great, just good) season, the rest have all been somewhere between below average and horrible. A change of scenery may be just what he needs. I don’t think he ever liked the pressure on him in Tampa to be the team savior and with AP in Minnesota he won’t have that pressure.

I’m not sure why people think Freeman couldn’t start immediately. Needs to learn the playbook? He’s been in the NFL for 5 years. He knows an NFL playbook. This isn’t Peyton Manning here. You won’t be asking him to step up to the line, read the defense, and pull a play from memory. He will get the play call, and run the play. If it’s a run, that is easy enough to know asap. If it’s a pass, he will be told who his first read is. No reason, after a full week of practice, he can’t run the offense, as it still runs through AP first.

bigginfragable says:
Oct 7, 2013 12:16 PM
And all around the NFC North, you can hear Detroit, Green Bay & Chicago DB’s licking their chops at the number in INT’s Freeman is going to toss their way.

Schiano didn’t kill his Tampa Career. Freeman did. If he was the Franchise QB people though he would be, then he would have made the plays when he needed to, and helped win more than 7 games out of 20.

How many games did the Bucs loose by 7 points or less over that time? 5-7. If he were the great QB people praise him for being, then he would have found a way to overcome, and be the guy to get points.

Schiano may not be the greatest coach in the NFL, but he’s done what needed to be done, and that was instill discipline into the team. Josh just didn’t get it. He put on a great act for a while, but he just didn’t get it
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I guess I’ll just take these one at a time…

The division foes loved Ponder. They only had to guard against the run (hence, 9 in the box) and 5 yard passes. They will not like a huge armed QB playing for the Vikings now.

Freeman “killed” his career in Tampa because he recognized the coach was a buffoon. He also “killed” his career into getting out quickly and making $3 mil more this year than expected. He seems like a genius to me.

How does Romo get a $20 mil a year contract for losing close games and you think Freeman is horrible for losing close games? The Bucs team is winless. Your entire franchise is a mess. Freeman’s the lucky one. He got out.

Your coach? It’s widely known he’s terrible. Turn on ESPN, or any radio show talking about football. It’s simply a fact. Get over it.

Went to a homecoming parage this past Friday and ran into a Packer fan (I live in IL) who invited me onto his porch to watch the parade. Nicest guy you could meet, like most of the Packer fans I run into. My best friend is a Packer fan, another great guy. Who are all these inbreads on this site because they surely don’t represent the rest of the Packer fans I’ve met.

I wish him well, and hope he’s successful for the Vikings, but his problem is accuracy. He’s just not been an accurate passer. Passes will go high, low, behind, in front, etc. Rarely is he hitting receivers perfectly in stride. And those bad throws kill drives, get receivers hurt and lead to interceptions.

In this league, that single skill is the difference between mediocre and exceptional.

The division foes loved Ponder. They only had to guard against the run (hence, 9 in the box) and 5 yard passes. They will not like a huge armed QB playing for the Vikings now.

Freeman “killed” his career in Tampa because he recognized the coach was a buffoon. He also “killed” his career into getting out quickly and making $3 mil more this year than expected. He seems like a genius to me.

How does Romo get a $20 mil a year contract for losing close games and you think Freeman is horrible for losing close games? The Bucs team is winless. Your entire franchise is a mess. Freeman’s the lucky one. He got out.

Your coach? It’s widely known he’s terrible. Turn on ESPN, or any radio show talking about football. It’s simply a fact. Get over it.

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did you watch any Buc games or are you just repeating what you heard on talk radio? Teams always stacked the box against the Bucs. They were always facing 8 and 9 man fronts. Why do you think that will change in Minnesota? especially with AP in the back field. Ryan Leaf had a huge arm as well, how did that turn out?

and technically, Freeman started to kill his career while Morris was still the coach. So unless Freeman had some kind of “seeing into the future to see who the NEXT coach would be” powers, again you have no idea what you are talking about.

how many analysts questions the thinking behind giving Romo $20 million? I hope you are not basing any decision on what Jerry Jones does.

The entire Bucs franchise is not a mess, their QB situation was. They are working on getting that fixed and are not as far off as “some” like to think. even with Freeman under center for 3 games they still had a shot to win every one.

personally i hope that a change of scenery helps Freeman turn his life around and he gets his head straight and doesn’t waste the talent that he has. football is only a game, i hate to see someone wasting what they have.

Even if you don’t like your coach or your boss you’re still expected to be professional. Freeman acted like a spoiled brat. He missed meetings, and the worst was missing the team photo. I don’t like all my bosses decisions but he’s still the boss. Good luck Minnesota, this guy is a punk and proved it this year with the Bucs.

The division foes loved Ponder. They only had to guard against the run (hence, 9 in the box) and 5 yard passes. They will not like a huge armed QB playing for the Vikings now.

Freeman “killed” his career in Tampa because he recognized the coach was a buffoon. He also “killed” his career into getting out quickly and making $3 mil more this year than expected. He seems like a genius to me.

How does Romo get a $20 mil a year contract for losing close games and you think Freeman is horrible for losing close games? The Bucs team is winless. Your entire franchise is a mess. Freeman’s the lucky one. He got out.

Your coach? It’s widely known he’s terrible. Turn on ESPN, or any radio show talking about football. It’s simply a fact. Get over

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1. I don’t know how many Bucs games you have actually watched, but I have watched every game in the past 8 years, and the Def’s in the NFC North can still stack 9 in the box. Freeman can’t hit a 10 yard crossing pattern if it mean saving his mothers life. His 10-20 yard passes often sail over the heads of his receivers by several feet, and their 6’5″. As bad as Ponder is, he’s still more accurate and throws less INTs.

2. Freeman killed his career in Tampa because he was the coaches boy under Rah Rah, and when it came time to be a professional, he could not hack it. Blame Schanio for being a bad coach, but Freeman could not handle being a professional QB.

Regardless of how it played out in Tampa, the economics of this situation only serve to prove that in professional sports you can fail into fortune, and that Josh doesn’t have the backbone to be a true professional team player, otherwise he would have used those talents to at least win some games. To have not played up to his full talent and then quit because it got “too hard”, only proves he is the worst kind of athlete.

3. Romo got the contract, because he has actually made the playoffs, had a winning season and has Jerry Jones as an owner. The last one says all you need to know about why he got paid. Jerry can’t ever admit he made a mistake.

4. Yeah, my coach. As in the coach of my team, until he is fired or quits, I will continue to say what I feel is right. He is not the greatest coach. He should be at best a defensive coordinator. But I also realize that he is not 100% of the problem. That said, he should be fired, only for the reason that he let this whole issue spiral out of control, when it could have been dealt with quickly and in house.

I could give a rats arse about what the media says about him. He instilled some discipline on a team that had none, and several players could not handle it, pouted and moved on.

As for ESPN and the other media outlets. They hate on him mainly because he doesn’t play their little games and prefers to focus on football, and not giving them glorious sound bytes that will draw more clicks to their websites or viewers to their segments.